The Secret of Anastasia
The Secret of Anastasia is an American 1997 direct-to-video animated musical film directed by Richard Donner, written by Philip LaZebnik, Mark Zaslove, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, Raymond Singer and David Goldsmith, produced by Sterling Entertainment Group, Shuler Donner/Donner Productions and Silver Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures under the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. The movie was released the same year as Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox's Anastasia. The film included the voices of Jodie Foster, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, Gregory Peck, Miranda Richardson, Joseph Mazzello, Kirsten Dunst and narrated by Peter MacNicol]. The film is about the Grand Duchess Anastasia and her quest to find her identity. Plot The film opens with the secret police killing Anastasia's family before her eyes as a child. In 1916, Anastasia lived in The Imperial Castle of Moscow with her instrument friends; Tuba, Harp, Accordion, Cello (In The Sun). The secret police return to her old home, which she continued to live in secrecy, to do away with Anastasia. Anastasia and her friends escape and aboard a train. In a baggage car on the freight train, Anastasia finds the former General of the Tzar's army, Vladimir Ichonovitch, stowing away in a suitcase. He believes that Anastasia is only pretending to be the princess Anastasia, since everyone was trying to do to get the lost family riches, and plays along. Vladimir got her out of the rags she was wearing and began her training her to be the princess she was destined to be. Vladimir and Anastasia begin to fall in love with each other but ignore their true emotions (A Princess After All). Anastasia, Vladimir, and the instruments go to an event in Anastasia's honor. But alas, the hatred of a of an old family friend keeps her from proving to the attendees that she is the real princess. Yet, an old childhood memory gains the trust well deserved from everyone. Soon, a charming Prince Paul arrives at the party and sweeps Anastasia off her feet. Paul encourages Anastasia to see her old grandmother, Grandmere. During the intervention, Grandmere refuses to believe her last grandchild is alive. Anastasia storms out of the room, she reprises "In The Sun" to soothe the pain her grandmother has given her. As Paul and Grandmere listen to Anastasia sing, tears stream from Grandmere's eyes because she used to sing the same song to only her when she was little. The past is brought to focus that Anastasia and Paul were engaged at a young age. When Vladimir hear the news, he becomes hot tempered out of his love for Anastasia and leaves into the night. Outside the leader of the secret police, Checka, has Vladimir jumped by his crew. While Anastasia was at dinner with Paul, the secret police captured Anastasia and took her to an abandoned building. There Prince Paul reveals himself to be Checka (Prince Charmless). Vladimir hears that Anastasia was kidnapped, and he and the instruments go to rescue her. Checka and Vladimir fight each other head to head. In the action, both men fall down into a nearby river. In desperation, Tuba and Accordion jump into the river to rescue Vladimir. To order to give Vladimir's life back, the instruments reveal their true identities to her; her father Nicholas II of Russia the tuba, her mother Alexandra Fyodorovna the harp, her brother Alexi the accordion, and her sister Tatania the cello. Because they revealed themselves, their souls were to return to Heaven (You'll Be With Me in My Heart). Anastasia and her family part ways and Vladimir is brought back to life. Cast *Jodie Foster as Anastasia / Anya Romanov **Faith Hill as Anastasia / Anya (singing voice) *Sylvester Stallone as Prince Paul / Checka *Mel Gibson as Vladimir Ichonovitch *Gregory Peck as Tsar Nicholas II *Miranda Richardson as Alexandre Eyodorovria *Joseph Mazzello as Alexi *Kirsten Dunst as Tatania *Peter MacNicol as Narrator Additional Voices *Maurice LaMarche *Hames Avery *Robert Clotworthy *Jim Cummings *Mary Kay Bergman *Cam Clarke *Francesca Marie Smith *Colleen O'Shaughnessey *Frank Welker *Richard Epcar *Kirk Thornton *Steve Blum *Louise Chamis - Grandmere *Doug Stone *Michelle Ruff *Steve Kramer *Nick Jameson Musical Numbers The songs were written by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel (who later worked on the 1998 film Mulan by Disney and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) while the original score was composed by Christopher Young, who previously worked on the films including Virtuosity, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Tales from the Hood and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom. #"In The Sun" by Gregory Peck, Miranda Richardson, Joseph Mazzello, Monique Donnelly, Sally Stevens, Edie Lehmann Boddicker, Randy Crenshaw, Rick Logan #"A Princess After All" by Faith Hill and Mel Gibson #"In The Sun (Reprise)" by Faith Hill #"Prince Charmless" by Sylvester Stallone #"You'll Be With Me in My Heart" by Faith Hill Home video Warner Home Video released the movie on VHS and DVD in November 12, 1997. It was later re-released on DVD in August 12, 2014. Response The movie did not get much response like ''Anastasia''. However, the film made a good cult following. During the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade), community theatres performed The Secret of Anastasia as a stage musical. It then dawned on them. External links * The Secret of Anastasia at IMDB Category:1997 films Category:1990s musical films Category:1999 musicals Category:American animated films Category:American children's fantasy films Category:American musical comedy films Category:American films Category:1997 animated films Category:Animated comedy films Category:Direct-to-video animated films Category:English-language films Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Films set in Russia Category:Films set in 1916 Category:Independent films Category:Animated musical films Category:Russian Revolution films Category:Cultural depictions of Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Category:Cultural depictions of Nicholas II of Russia Category:Silver Pictures films Category:Warner Bros. Animation animated films Category:Warner Bros. animated films Category:Musicals by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel Category:Film scores by Christopher Young Category:Film scores by Shirley Walker Category:Film scores by Nick Glennie-Smith Category:Film scores by John Van Tongeren Category:Films directed by Richard Donner Category:Films produced by Lauren Shuler Donner Category:Films produced by Joel Silver Category:Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis Category:Films produced by Martha De Laurentiis Category:Films with screenplays by Roger Allers Category:Films with screenplays by Eugenia Bostwick-Singer Category:Films with screenplays by Philip LaZebnik Category:Warner Bros. Family Entertainment films